Mikel Arteta defended Raheem Sterling after Arsenal’s nervy 2-0 victory over Leicester and argued the whole team’s performance made it ‘very difficult’ for his new-look attack to shine.
Starting with a frontline of Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Sterling following a season-ending injury to Kai Havertz, the Gunners struggled to break down the Foxes and appeared on course for a disappointing stalemate at the King Power Stadium.
Sterling, who has largely flattered to deceive following a loan move from Chelsea, produced an especially poor display and was brought off in the 69th minute for Mikel Merino, who came on and made all the difference.
Merino was set up by Nwaneri, the visitors’ standout performer, for his first before combining with Trossard to double his tally and put the away team out of sight in the 87th minute.
The result moves Arteta’s men to within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who were held to a 2-2 draw in Wednesday’s Merseyside-derby thriller at Goodison Park.
‘Very tough. The first half, especially the first 20 to 25 minutes, we struggled to get certain momentum because we did a lot of simple things very wrong,’ Arteta told reporters at his post-match press conference.
‘We gave a lot of balls away and never really threatened or generated enough momentum in sequences in the the opposition’s box.
‘The second half was very different. We had much more urgency, better intentions, better executions and then you can sense the game was going in the direction the game had to go.
‘Saying that, there is a moment when we gave away the ball in the middle of the park, the space is open on the counter and Myles [Lewis-Skelly] has to make a magictouch to deny the goal. And the other end, then, is when we score the goal.
‘The subs were brilliant and Mikel obviously made a big impact to score two goals.’
There will inevitably be calls for Merino to be given the nod from the start when Arsenal return to action against West Ham, but Arteta refused to give any clues over his thinking for the London derby.
‘We’re going to have to share that and we know that,’ he replied when asked whether it was too simple to suggest they had found the ‘solution’ following Havertz’s injury.
‘We’re going to have various contexts. Maybe a player is not performing or because the opposition is doing something else or there is a yellow or there is fatigue.
‘That is going to restrict what we can do really, in terms of the personnel. But we have have prepared for different scenarios. Hopefully they will work as good as Mikel worked today.’
Asked whether an out-of-sorts Sterling needs more games to build up his confidence, Arteta responded: ‘Yeah… and, as well, I think from everybody, to step up their game.
‘In the first half, especially in the first 20 to 25 minutes, we weren’t at our standards and it’s very difficult for our front players.’
Arteta’s decision to throw Merino on up front came as something of a ‘surprise’ to the Spain international considering he had never played in the position before up until that point.
But the former Real Sociedad midfielder was just pleased he was able to help the team in any way he could amid their injury crisis.
‘He [Arteta] told me I was going to come in as a striker,’ he told TNT Sports shortly after the final whistle.
‘We were talking about it this morning a little bit with one of the assistants.
‘Honestly, it was a surprise because it was the first time in my career that I played in that position but he told me to play as a striker, make sure I go with my strengths and I think luckily I helped the team today.’
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